


A Day At The Zoo

by JessicaLynne



Category: Beauty and the Beast (TV 1987)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Twins, Brother-Sister Relationships, F/M, Separate Childhoods
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:34:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24022933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JessicaLynne/pseuds/JessicaLynne
Summary: Vincent's Origin story, set around season 3. Vincent and Diana learn something surprising about their past.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Just to let you all know, I've never been to New York City so I honestly have no idea if Central Park even has a zoo.

New York City, March 1954

One beautiful spring day Kevin and Christine Bennett were walking through the zoo in Central Park. They were newlyweds, excited to begin their lives together. Kevin was a police officer with the NYPD. He was very tall and broad shouldered, with sandy, almost tawny blond hair, high cheek bones and brilliant blue eyes. Christine was slightly shorter, with dark auburn hair and green eyes, signs of her Irish ancestry which she was very proud of. She also had high cheek bones and was very fair skinned.

As they passed the lion's cage, Kevin wound up getting a bit too close to the bars and one of the lions struck out with his paw, intent on protecting his territory. Kevin wound up getting gashed in the leg, near his groin. An ambulance took him to St Vincent's hospital, which was near their home. Due to the tragic accident no one had seen the blood that was already on the lion's claws as he swiped at Kevin.

Soon after Kevin had recovered and gone back to work he and Christine found out that Christine was pregnant! The pregnancy progressed quickly, though normally. Christine's doctor, Dr Peter Alcott, was a recent graduate from medical school and was quickly proving to be very competent at his job. He soon confirmed that Christine was carrying twins.

Time passed and Christine went into labor early in the morning on January 12th. She delivered a boy and a girl. Their son did not cry at all when he was born. Their daughter, however, did cry. The boy had some facial deformities, including a cleft upper lip and a flat, wide nose that looked like it made it impossible for him to breathe. Because he had not moved or made a sound since being delivered, Dr Alcott sadly informed Kevin and Christine that he suspected their son was stillborn. Weeping for the loss of their son, they took their daughter, who they named Diana, home several days later. The baby boy was wrapped in cleaning rags and placed near the dumpsters.

Little did Dr Alcott realize that the baby boy was in fact very much alive and would be found that same afternoon by two gentlemen, one of them a medical doctor himself....


	2. 35 Years Later....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana is looking through some family mementos and finds a baby book among them. She realizes that Vincent is her fraternal twin brother, who she thought had died at birth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place between Invictus and The Reckoning.

35 years later.....

Diana was looking through some family mementos that her parents had left her after they had passed away some years ago. She was reliving her memories. Catherine's case had been solved recently, and it had taken a toll on her. Vincent's son was now safely home with his father.

As she was looking through the mementos, she stumbled upon an old baby book. Her parents, Kevin and Christine, had told her when she was young that she had a twin brother who had died at birth due to facial deformities that made it impossible for him to breathe. She knew she and her brother had been born at St Vincent's. Because her brother had been stillborn, he had been placed near the dumpsters with the other medical waste. There were no photos of her brother, so she never knew what he looked like. He wasn't even given a name after he was born, and that broke her heart.

Diana remembered how her parents had told her of her dad being scratched in the leg by a lion when he and her mother were visiting the zoo in Central Park soon after they had married. Her mother had become pregnant with her and her brother soon afterwards. Remembering what Vincent had told her about being found outside St Vincent's hospital as a baby soon after he was born, and remembering that they shared the same birthday, January 12th, Diana quickly put two and two together and made a startling realization. Vincent was her twin brother! The little baby boy they had rescued was her nephew!

It all made sense now. Diana and Vincent were close in height, although she was slightly shorter than he was. They both shared the same empathic abilities. She favored their mother, while he took after their father. They were both reserved in personality. While Diana did not share Vincent's leonine features, they both had high cheekbones and blue eyes, and Vincent even had touches of red in his blond hair. Vincent did not have a bond with Diana like he had shared with Catherine, and treated her like a friend or a sister. Now she understood why. The bond she felt with him was not romantic in any way, as she had previously thought. It was familial.

She had to tell Vincent somehow. Making her way Below after finishing her work for the day, she carried the baby book and a photo of their parents with her. Jamie was on sentry duty that night, so Diana had Jamie tap out a message saying she wanted to meet Vincent in his father's library as she had something to show him and Jacob. The two men were waiting for her when she reached the library.

"Diana, what is it? What do you have to show us?" 

"Vincent, I have some startling news for you. I think I may have found your origins, where you came from."

Vincent looked at Father, and then back at Diana. "Tell me."

"I was going through some family mementos today. I found this baby book. My parents had told me when I was young that I had a fraternal twin brother who had died at birth due to facial deformities that made it so he couldn't breathe. He was never given a name. Shortly before my mother became pregnant with me and my brother, my dad was attacked, scratched in the leg by a lion while visiting the zoo. There was another lion's blood on it's claws."

"I'm sorry to hear about your brother, but what does this have to do with me? I'm not sure I understand."

"Vincent, you were found in the trash outside St. Vincent's hospital on January 12th, 1955, right? That was how you got your name."

"Yes...." Understanding was beginning to dawn in Vincent's eyes.

"Vincent, we share the same birthdate. We both have the same empathic abilities. We even both have some of the same features, high cheekbones, blue eyes, you even have a touch of red in your hair." Diana then showed him the photo of their parents. Needless to say, Vincent was shocked at the resemblance he had to the man in the picture, and Diana's resemblance to the woman.

"So what you're telling me is...."

"Yes. Vincent, you are my twin brother. The couple in this picture are our parents, Kevin and Christine Bennett. Your son is my nephew. If Catherine had lived, she and I would have been sisters in law eventually."

"What happened to our parents? Is there a way I can meet them?"

"No. Unfortunately, they died some years ago. Dad was a police officer, killed in the line of duty. Between losing you and then Dad, Mom couldn't handle it. She became ill and died of a broken heart several years after Dad died. Our younger sister and I stayed together, doing whatever it took to survive without being placed into foster care. I became a police detective to honor Dad's memory."

Needless to say, this was a bit much for Vincent. First losing Catherine, then finding his son, and finally finding out that Diana was his twin sister and their parents were dead too! Placing his head in his hands, he started to cry. Diana placed her hands on her brother's shoulder, while Jacob placed his hand on the other one, both of them offering their silent support to the grieving man before them. Eventually, Vincent calmed down, his crying quieted and eventually stopped. He looked at Jacob. "No matter what, you'll always be my Father. You took me in and raised me as your son. For that I will always be thankful." Turning to Diana, he asked her, "Is there a way I can meet our younger sister?"

Diana looked at Jacob, requesting his permission with her eyes. Jacob thought for a moment, then said he would ask the Council if Diana could bring her sister Below to meet their brother. 

The regular Council meeting was that night. Jacob explained the situation about Diana and Vincent finding out they were twin siblings, and that they had a younger sister that Vincent wanted to meet. Permission was quickly granted. The following week Diana brought Susan down, along with Susan's young daughter, Annie, thinking Vincent would like to also meet his niece. The small reunited family joined everyone for dinner in the community dining room. William had baked a cake in honor of the special occasion. Susan and Annie became willing Helpers, doing what they could to assist their new extended family. Unfortunately, Susan and Annie were unable to attend the naming ceremony for Vincent's son, whom he named Jacob Charles Wells after his grandfathers.

When Winterfest came later that year, Vincent's first after Catherine's death, Diana, Susan and Annie all attended. Vincent was presented with a book where everyone had written their favorite memories of Catherine, something that touched him very deeply. He felt Catherine was celebrating with them in spirit. At the end, all three ladies were invited to complete the circle as they joined their raised hands.


	3. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vincent confronts Peter over the mistaken assumption of his "stillbirth".

The following weeks after Winterfest were quiet. Vincent had been doing some serious thinking since Diana's revelation. Peter Alcott had not only delivered Catherine, but had also delivered him! It was yet another thing that made him miss Catherine even more. And yet, when he was born, Peter had thought he was dead, stillborn. The thought stunned Vincent to his core. He decided to talk to Peter about it the next time Peter came to visit Father.

That next time turned out to be his and Diana's birthday celebration on January 12th. Of course, once word had gotten out that Vincent and Diana were brother and sister, not only was the tunnel community more open to Diana, they had insisted she celebrate their birthdays together. Susan and Annie were also invited as well.

After the birthday dinner had been served and the cake (chocolate, their favorite) had been cut and passed around, Vincent decided, along with Diana, to ask Peter about the circumstances of their births. Calling Peter aside privately, Vincent decided to get straight to the point.

"Peter, when Diana told me that you were the one who delivered me, I admit I was shocked. What made you think I was stillborn, that I had died at birth?"

"Vincent, when I found out your mother was carrying twins, I could not have been happier for her and your father. When you were born, you did not move at all, not even to squirm in my arms. You did not even cry! You were so quiet. I checked for a heart beat, but your pulse has always been slow. Even now, your pulse is still 21 beats per minute. And no disrespect intended, but with the shape of your face, your differences, made me think your bone structure was not sufficient enough to allow your nose to develop like anyone else's, thus making it difficult for you to breathe. I honestly thought you had died in utero. I even mourned with your parents! I am so sorry. Imagine my surprise when I came down to see Jacob several days later! He had told me he found a baby boy outside St Vincent's, lying in the trash, and that he, excuse me, you, wouldn't stop crying because you were so sick. Jacob had asked me to bring some medicine for you, hoping we could find something that would help you get better."

"Peter, you have known me my whole life, why did you not tell me this as I was growing up? It would have solved a lot of problems for me."

"Don't get me wrong, while I'm thankful you survived, it wouldn't have been a good life for you had you grown up above. People are afraid, even hostile towards people or anything they don't understand. You would have been little more than a science project. I also had to keep this world Below a secret, even more so after you were brought down here. And, your parents did not have a telephone, despite Kevin Bennett being an NYPD officer. So I had no way to contact them to let them know you were alive." 

"While I don't like the idea of you keeping the truth from me, you could have at least let me know my parents were out there. If anything, it would have allowed me to keep an eye on them."

"You're right, Vincent. And again, I am very sorry for withholding the truth, no, let me say it clearly, for lying to you."

"Forgiveness doesn't come easy in this case, but it might with time."

"Yes, I truly hope I can once again earn your trust."

"So here is another question," Diana said. "There were two lions in the cage, apparently. The first lion had the other lion's blood on it's claws. When the lion scratched our Dad, the lion's DNA somehow mingled with his to give Vincent his unique DNA and features. So how did that happen? I would have thought that the two species were incompatible."

"I'm not exactly sure of that myself, Diana. Because you are fraternal twins, there were two eggs in your mother's womb when you were conceived. As you pointed out to Vincent, you do have some similar features, the high cheekbones and blue eyes being the main ones. However, the rest I still am not sure about. When Vincent was ill, I did draw some blood samples, but no test has ever been that conclusive."

"Unfortunate. It would have been nice to figure that out."

"I agree. Maybe one day the technology will be developed that will allow us to probe it further."

The time had come to open the birthday gifts. Diana's gift for Vincent were two framed photos. One was of Catherine, the other one was of the Bennett family, Kevin, Christine, and Diana and Susan as young ladies. "This was taken right before Dad was killed. It's the last portrait that was ever taken of our family together. It's a copy, Susan and I have the same one in our homes. I think Mom and Dad both would have been very proud of you. Baby Jacob takes after Dad a little bit as well, those blue eyes seem to be a strong trait in our family!"

"Yes, very much so. Thank you, Diana, I will treasure these."

Vincent's gift for Diana was a handmade leather wallet, to hold her police badge and ID card. There was also a small place behind the ID card pouch that held a photo of little Jacob Charles, who had ultimately reunited their family. One of the guests at Jacob's naming ceremony had brought a small camera and taken the picture during the reception. Vincent had asked a Helper to make a copy of it. The original was in his chamber.

"This is beautiful, Vincent. Thank you. I will cherish it."

Later, Vincent walked Diana home. On the way to her loft, Diana spoke up. "Vincent, don't be too upset about what Peter told us today, okay? I know it's hard to hear the truth after all of these years. 36 years is a long time, I know. If you want to talk about it I'll be a willing listening ear for you."

"Thank you." They hugged and parted ways.

Vincent had never been the type to hold a grudge, and things did eventually ease up between him and Peter as time went by. When Jacob's birthday and the anniversary of Catherine's death came later that year, it was hard but knowing his family was close by gave Vincent a great amount of peace.


End file.
